Time Soldier
by magicbulletgirl
Summary: A short oneshot that happens after Journey's End. Donna remembers and shines all on her own becoming a celebrity. Please enjoy!


_**Time Soldier**_

_By: MagicBulletGirl  
_

_Spoilers & Disclaimer: Well episode 4.13 of course. Not my characters, the happy people at the BBC are friendly though. Originally posted at my LJ._

**lllll**

Her grandfather had never been prouder. Her mother... well that woman would never be rid of that pursing around the lip. Donna Noble had received the highest honor in Britain for writing. Already people were talking of Oscars for screenwriting year after next as a movie of her book was already on the way.

This brought them to where she was now, a book signing at Hatchards. When she had announced it a month or so back her mother honestly admitted she was impressed that the little "science fiction" book was such as success.

The two of them sat behind her as she greeted guest after guest, signing their books, making sure they got a word in before they were moved aside for the next guest. She was adamant that everyone got enough time with her. After all, who could talk properly when they were meeting a celebrity, ahem, she meant their favorite author?

**lll**

The story had come to her while on a walk. They had become a habit as she had come to a realization that her life was empty and useless.

Chattering mindlessly with her friends about weight and tabloids had become dull and she had felt distant from them when several times they assured her that her memory must be on the fritz or that she must have been slobbering drunk not to have seen the planets in the sky, to not have known that she disappeared on her wedding day or without a clue as to what happened to her fiancé.

Depressed, she realized that something was wrong with her. What it was, how to fix it, she had no idea.

Then out of the blue, he appeared before her while on the walk. She could see him as clear as day down on the corner, walking toward her. The tall thin man in a brown coat. The leaves fell around them and she heard a siren song nearby. So brilliant it was that her eyes started brimming with tears that she blinked too long and he was gone.

Then and there Donna felt the urge to put to pen all the ideas stirring around in her mind. An entire history had formed about him in her mind... so clear it felt real.

**lll**

The novel was called Time Soldier. A "man," he was introduced as humanoid but then revealed mid-book to be an alien from the plant Gamma-fi. His world existed outside of time and his people were at war with a murderous race of gravy boat shaped machine-creatures. They shot lasers from their mixer-like hands and had machines that could disable the Time Soldiers machines, the Star-Disks, and use time itself as a weapon. The story was of that man and the war he fought, leaving him as the sole survivor of his kind, ending with him living in his Star-Disk, searching for peace after having to lay to rest his children and his love for the sake of the universe.

The reviews had been mixed some asking what had made "The Soldier" so special that he had to be the one to be left alone. When asked that Donna would smile, replying, "There are some things you yourself do to make sure they're done. This, to him, was one of those things."

Some wondered about his real name. To that she could only say, "It hasn't come to me yet."

The general public fell in love with the story, in love with the character, even Donna was surprised saying, "I thought people might not understand him, might even hate him. I'm glad it's like this."

**lll**

Donna signed a copy, smiled, answered the boy's question and watched him go. She looked up to the next guest and stopped.

Her mouth fell agape.

"You're him..." she got out.

He gave her a curious expression and asked "Excuse me?" as he put his copy down in front of her.

Automatically she signed while her eyes were still locked to his, "You look like The Soldier."

"Oh- him- well you know, there's so many thin men in brown coats walking around..."

Donna stopped mid-letter sending the pen marking the book and the table. "He doesn't wear a brown coat in the book."

His expression turned to that of a deer caught in headlights, and then looked down at the book in a vain effort to change the subject, "Just make it out to John Smith."

Donna smirked, "All right. John Smith." She finished writing quickly, "Enjoy your copy."

The Doctor gulped, "Thank you," and walked out of the store as quickly as possible and ran flat out to the Tardis.

Once inside he opened the book and read what she had written.

**ll**

To John Smith, the Soldier.

-Donna Noble

**ll**

Below that was a phone number and another sentence.

"Call me about the sequel. I can't remember what happens to Rose."

At that the Doctor stopped and looked to the door of the Tardis.

The decay of the memory wipe must have been triggered that day. She had already lasted two years, and it seemed she was only remembering a hundred years at a time (that's how long the Time War had lasted), so she would have another seven odd years.

His heart jerked to go back. To try to stop it, but knew that wouldn't work.

At least he could make sure that her final book would be published properly, knowing full well that his real name would be in it, knowing it would be about their adventures.

Jerking back a tear, he pulled down several levers on the control panel and traveled to the future to be with his Donna Noble. The most remembered author after Agatha Christie.

**lll**

The End

**lll**

AN: I didn't mean to make this sad either but there's no getting around death if you stick to the canon (well, that'll change at X-mas). I liked the idea because Donna eventually remembered being awesome after being awesome all on her own. And we all know she got home after seeing the Doctor and within a week had a copy of the book done because she's the best Temp, 100 words per minute and all that ^^. The names like "The Doctor" and the "Tardis" being different in the book she wrote, I'm not completely sure it's because she remembered it wrong (like a scratched CD) or if she changed them. After all she remembered Rose's name so it's up to you guys (sweat-drop) I realize I'm taking a little bit of a risk posting it here also, and since details on the Time War are scarce, I felt I could take a few liberties on that.

Thank you for reading!


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